Did you know that there are ways you can get a lot of free advertising for your business?

That is what I want to talk about in this blog post today. I want to show you why freelance media is a business owner’s best friend.

You may have noticed that a lot of forms of media have begun shrinking due to the internet. Newspapers are a perfect example. Less people are subscribing to receive those regular printed newspapers anymore. The reason there are less subscribers is because there are now more options than ever before where people can get their information.

There are more media channels than ever before. There are websites delivering that information. There are more radio stations than ever before including satellite radio and internet based radio. There are more television stations than ever before. There are more niche channels than ever before.

With all these new forms of media out there, it has resulted in their being more writers and reporters than ever before. These writers, reporters and journalists all need information in order to create their articles and content pieces for publication. Business owners and other industry experts can be key players in helping those writers get access to the information they need.

Most business owners are experts within their industry. After all, it generally takes a lot of expertise for a person to launch their own business in their field. There are exceptions to that. Yet, even in those situations, the business owner learns that very important industry knowledge pretty darn quickly.

If a business owner is an expert in her industry, then she is an ideal source of information that a writer can use to produce a story about that industry. Information, especially good information, is very valuable these days. Business owners possess a lot of really valuable information about their industries that they can trade for publicity.

When a writer interviews a business owner and uses the information gathered in that interview to produce an article, then the business owner usually gets mentioned and credited as being a source of information. That generates free publicity for the business owner. Depending on how popular the media is, that one story could make a drastic difference in your business. Here is an example.

So why not use your position as a knowledgeable business owner to your fullest capability. Take time to network with members of the media, especially ones who report about your industry. Get to know as many of them as possible. Make yourself available for interviews upon request. If you are real ambitious, then go look for opportunities where you can get yourself interviewed right away. Start the ball rolling.

Now more than ever, the Internet and social media have dominated all aspects of modern life. To be seen carrying around a flip phone nowadays it considered a shameful act, while not having a Facebook or Twitter account sets off the “creeper” alarm in our society. Businesses started to understand the gravity of our Internet addiction more than 10 years ago, thus jumping on the social media cash cow and rode it all the way to the bank…or so we thought. “Selling clicks,” or the process of paying for fake endorsements such as Facebook likes or more recently buying Twitter followers, has become big business in recent years. Millions of fraudulent endorsements across multiple social media sites have exploded, causing grossly inflated numbers of people “liking” various businesses in an attempt to increase its customer base and social media presence. All the big-wig social media sites have been hit by the influx: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and even Pinterest.

Numerous “click farms” sell companies fake Twitter followers in exchange for a fee, in the hopes of improving sales and brand recognition. Fresh Followers.net, one of the many sites that sells fake Twitter endorsements offers customers a chance to buy 1,000 Twitter followers for the low price of $15 with guaranteed delivery within 1-3 days. For $50 you can pick yourself up a nice group of 10,000 new followers.

This sleazy practice is not simply limited to commercial companies however. Many celebrities have been buying followers as well to garner greater popularity within the Twitter community. Everyone, including celebrities and businesses are trying to achieve (and maintain) a mirage of a massive fan base so as to hold up against the increasingly stringent competition. This sad display is reminiscent of a puffer fish in its last moments when facing a predator, the huge size isn’t fooling anyone…you still end up as lunch.

When will this madness of buying Twitter followers end you may ask? Sadly, not anytime soon. It is projected that the buying of Twitter followers will increase exponentially in 2014. As long as there are people willing to buy, the “click farms” will keep on selling. Also, this scandal goes all the way to the top, for the US State Department was even involved in buying Facebook likes ($630,000 worth to be exact). The lack of government regulation allows for the bad business practice to continue virtually unchecked. It makes us as a society question the validity of that huge number of followers Burger King now has or if Britney Spears is truly that “likable.” The question from now on when I log in to my Twitter account will always resonate in my mind is: Will the real followers please stand up?

Social media is very much in the limelight right now following the flotation of Facebook and impending flotation of Twitter. These websites are valued at huge sums and investors are desperate to snap up a share of these businesses but what can these sites do for you and your business? I’m sure you’ve already read advice about adding your business to all of the major social media channels but you are profiting from this and is your business growing from your social media exposure?

My name is Emma Simpson and I’m the owner of a firm ofcheap accountants who offer accounting services to all small businesses at affordable prices. My business has grown to be very profitable and successful over the last few years and I have experimented with a number of social media websites to advertise my company and to achieve growth. I believe I know what works and what doesn’t work which is why I have written this article so that you can learn from my experiences.

I have achieved sharp business growth in a short space of time and I have achieved this by taking advantage of the best social media channels. I’ll let you in on my secret. There are a number of social media websites out there and they can all enable you to interact with new, potential customers but some sites deliver more than others. The site which you must concentrate your efforts on is Twitter. Twitter is easy to join and you will soon find that this site is a great place to do business and to develop new leads.

My advice is to be social on a daily basis. Remember to tweet a number of times each day and to offer something of interest to your followers. This could be articles from your own blog, which is a great way of demonstrating your skills and expertise, or simply news articles from a mainstream website. I aim to be visible on the news feed of my followers each day and this means that my business is always noticed and when someone needs the services I offer they are more than likely to get in touch with me.

Success on Twitter cannot be achieved overnight and you will need to give it time to gain sufficient followers and to develop an audience for your tweets. However, once you have gained a good number of followers and when you actively participate within business circles you will find that is relatively easy to gain new customers for your business. You really can grow your business through social media and I’m living proof. The best part of all of this is that social media is 100% free so you don’t need a marketing budget to promote your business.